The Latin American Society (LAS) hosted its second annual soccer tournament from April 2 to 17. The LAS is led by a large group of seniors and has many student members who meet frequently throughout the school year.
The tournament took place in the Wannan Gym during lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and is structured in ten-minute, fast-paced games of Futsal, or indoor soccer. The structure of the tournament was created by the LAS, utilizing a bracket with eleven games throughout five rounds with one round per week. Any student was able to create and join a team to participate in the tournament, and 11 teams formed with the common goal of winning the rights to a $15 Taco Bamba gift card, which would be awarded to each member of the winning team.
When asked about the goals of LAS and what makes this tournament great, LAS co-head and senior Rae Marzilli said that “the main goal of LAS is to foster community within Latino students at Sidwell, but also to celebrate Latino culture throughout the school.”
“We started the tournament last year because we thought it would be a good way to get more engagement with the club from the broader Sidwell community,” Marzilli continued. “We wanted to make sure that everyone felt comfortable at LAS events, whether or not they have Latin American heritage, and we thought that something as universal as soccer would help with that.”
She explained the tournament’s logistics, saying that “[LAS] had a pretty good blueprint from last year for scheduling”
“We knew we wanted the tournament in April, even if it coincided with English class dodgeball, because it’s the last month with the seniors, and most of the school is in the mood to do something fun with their free time,” she added.
Four matches had been played after the first week of the contest. On day one, Team 5 in 1 won in a hard-fought match over Team Huzz Tuah 3-0. Team #E4Mango edged out a controversial penalty shootout win over Team Bermanator FC, where Senior Milan Sanai managed to sink the winner in penalty kicks.
When asked about the tournament as a whole, freshman Teddy Berman, the team captain of Bermanator FC, said he “was really proud of my boys for going up against one of the best teams, #E4Mango, and putting up a good fight.””I’m not disappointed, I’m just proud of them,” he added.
Day two of the tournament produced two more entertaining games, where Team Dih was able to beat Team Orangutans 5-0 through freshman Javier Green’s half-court goal and a complete team performance led by freshman captain Alexander Tam. Green described his strategy, saying “the best moment of my first game was when I scored a full court goal off the kick off. I noticed that the opponent’s goalie was slacking off, so I immediately fired a shot into the back of the net.”
“Playing in this tournament is exhilarating, thrilling and exciting,” freshman Team Dih member Mac Owen said. “Team Dih always brings great energy and enthusiasm to the Wannan Gym, and I think although we’re not the most skilled team, we have the most heart and we could make a deep run.”
When asked what the LAS means to him, Green said that “playing in the tournament truly has been an exhilarating experience.”
“Since I used to play club soccer when I was younger, I have greatly enjoyed being able to revisit an old pastime of mine,” he explained. “I have been a part of LAS since fifth grade, and I am happy to be able to support a group of people from similar cultural backgrounds as me through this soccer tournament.”
The final match of the first round was between Team Cinco Amigos and Team LLJP, where Cinco Amigos beat LLJP 3-0. Freshman player Cora Cherilus described the atmosphere, saying that “celebrating our goals and hearing the fans cheering was definitely the best part, [and] I love playing soccer and I’m glad LAS is spreading the joy of the game to others! The sport has such deep roots in Latin America and it’s good that it’s still prominent today.”
The championship battle was between 5 in 1 and #E4Mango, both of which were comprised of upperclassmen. 5 in 1 took home the tasty prize, defeating their opponents 3-2. However, all participants, winning or losing, were happy to have experienced such an event.
Though the tournament has ended, the LAS organizes events throughout the school year. “During Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th to October 15th), we convene a Meeting for Worship, display Latin American Art in the Upper School, and bring in a speaker for Collection to raise awareness,” Marzilli said. “Outside of that, we host the LAS Dance in February…to engage in a more fun way with the student body.”